First Snow
by Rain Sky
Summary: FFQ I 2006 Quarter 4; He was finally happy, only to have that happiness wrenched from him, leaving him out in the cold. Senerio!backstory. Never to be canon as of the release of FE10


FESS Fan-fiction Quarterly I 2006 Quarter 4

Prompt: As Senerio has been the subject of much bad fiction, redeem him by writing a well-thought out one.

Intro: So basically, this is a plot bunny I've had developing and mutating for awhile. Once FFQ was released, I decided to actually work on it. Since I've been busy, I've rushed it a bit to make the FFQ deadline. I would really like constructive criticism, because I always, without fail, get these random plot bunnies and then writer's block.

* * *

Senerio shivered slightly. The winter was approaching, and the nights would have been deadly to the boy on the streets if he didn't use magic to warm himself. His fingers reached up and twirled a lock of hair as black as obsidian. Truly, he had been lucky the last few weeks. After the temperature shifted, there had so far been no rain. When the rain came, Senerio would have no fire to keep warm.

_Where did it all go so wrong?_ The boy's cerise eyes seemed to fill with tears for a moment; the next moment, one could see that it was just the gleam of twilight. _Stop it, Senerio. Your life has never been good. Just because you were happy for a little while, it doesn't mean you've forgotten how to be alone. That was the peak of your life. Get over it._

The chill of the evening was taking its effect now. Senerio mumbled an incantation, watching his breath as each word came out. A small fire ignited on a couple of twigs he had gathered.

"Father, hurry up!" a boy's voice carried over to Senerio's ears. Senerio looked up to see a young boy carrying a training sword run through the streets. Following close behind, a little girl was stumbling along over the cobblestones.

"Give me a break," a taller man called back. "I'm an old man."

"You're so slow!" the blue haired son admonished his father. He turned to proceed to wherever he had been going, but not having taken two steps, he noticed Senerio. Smiling, the boy walked over. "Hiya. What are you doing down there?"

Senerio didn't know if he should respond. He was usually avoided by all the townspeople. _I was always avoided except by her. Stop it; how should I respond?_ Clearing his throat, Senerio nervously said, "I have a fire here. I have to stay down to stay warm."

The boy took a step back and scrutinized Senerio with his blue eyes. "Well, why don't you make a fire somewhere else?"

"I have nowhere else," Senerio muttered gravely. It was as if the two opposing forces – light and dark – had just met. _I did have a place. Really and truly, I felt so free._

The tall and muscular man and his little blue-eyed daughter caught up to the energetic boy. The father looked at Senerio with a sort of gentleness in his eyes that Senerio did not often receive. He only said, in his low voice, "You shouldn't be out here. Stay with us. We will be in the area for some time." The tone of his voice was sincere and kind, with no trace of malice or spite.

Senerio didn't dare say anything; for fear that he would ruin a beautiful dream. Gazing wide-eyed at these strangers, Senerio felt slight warmth appear in his heart, even though he could sense that the snow would fall soon. He heard his heart beat once, faintly. Then, Senerio's heart iced over again. "I am Senerio. I know how to live."

"That simply will not do," the boy said with a sort of dignity. "How is just sitting on the side of the road, watching people passing by, living?" Senerio noted that the father smacked his hand to his face. At the moment, the boy was frowning at Senerio's "strange" way of life as his father thought, _How tactless. Ike, you mean well, but you have to learn not to be offensively blunt_.

"I have the greatest idea, Father!" he suddenly cried out with a smile. "Why don't you come with us, and we'll teach you how to live!" It was a simple scheme, full of childlike naivete. Yet, somehow, it was filled with a meaningful power then unbeknownst to the speaker. Without waiting for a response, he held out his hand, his blue eyes gleaming, "I'm Ike, of the Greil Mercenaries. You said you are Senerio, right? Well, this is my father, the great leader of the Greil Mercenaries!" Ike proudly gestured to his father. Indeed, there was something stern and proud about him. Finally, Ike waved the little brown-haired girl forward. "This is my little sister, Mist."

"Um, it's a pleasure to meet you, Senerio," Mist shyly managed. She must simply have been hesitant when meeting unfamiliar people, for her blue eyes were lively and bright.

_I've seen eyes like those before… This girl is Mist. Ike has a sister named Mist._ Senerio lost himself to his dream. Even though he had just met the family, Senerio felt an inclination to declare, _I have a sister too. My sister is the most beautiful person the world ever received._

* * *

Once upon a time, long, long ago, in a place far, far away, a child was born to parents as normal as any Beorc. However, the child himself was tainted with the blood of a Laguz. Despite the outward beauty of the infant, he was cursed with physically apparent mixed blood. It was a frozen winter, and few could afford to care for another, much less a shunned child. The child Senerio was left in the care of an orphanage. Time flowed on, and eventually an old sage who thought Senerio a fit apprentice took him out of the orphanage's hands. Day in and day out, the sage forced the poor child to work at magic. Senerio did have some skill, but he was not the prodigy the sage had envisioned. Nonetheless, the sage intended to get the same prodigy out of him. Senerio's life may have been more fulfilling with the sage, but it was no better, what with harsh rebukes and occasional beatings. Eventually, the old man died, leaving Senerio to fend for himself.

With nowhere to go, the child Senerio, who may have been some ten years of age despite appearing to be seven, wandered through the city scavenging for any food he could find. It was another cold winter, with piercing snow infused in sharp gales of wind. Senerio found himself in front of a beautiful mansion, with the mindset; _I might have a chance at getting what they don't need. _He trekked through the snow until he found a backdoor. It was locked; he could not plead with the kitchens.

Resignedly, Senerio took his leave, passing by a large bay window of the mansion. Inside, a number of youths in their teens seemed to be attending a gathering of some sort. Amidst the group was an elegantly dressed couple, perhaps in their twenties. _It must be nice to have enough gold that you can celebrate in such destitute times._

Suddenly the beautifully polished Purple Heart door to the lavish home opened. A small girl of no more than four years appeared. Her hair was black, the same colour as Senerio's. She had azure eyes – no doubt a sign of nobility – that were so innocent and pure. Her skin was white as the snowstorm that surrounded the mansion. Despite her frailty and the biting iciness of winter, the girl began to walk out into the snow.

"Snow, come back!" a refined woman's voice called out. The woman who resembled the girl came out of the warmth as well. She wrapped her arms around the girl and asked, "What are you doing out here?"

"Mother, you said that my husband is someone I will be with forever," the girl naively commented. "I want that boy to be my husband." She raised a small, slender finger and pointed directly at Senerio.

The woman was clearly taken aback. Examining Senerio from a few feet away, her eyes widened slightly, as if in recognition. Her features began to soften, but then her eyes landed on the mark on Senerio's forehead – the mark of the Marked half-breeds.

"This boy," the woman gasped. Shaking her head and allowing her chestnut tresses to bounce about delicately, she ushered her daughter back into the mansion and gestured that Senerio should follow.

Once inside, Senerio was physically bathed in warmth he had not dreamt of in his whole life. However, emotionally, he was no different. The woman had invited him in, and directed him to an audience chamber. Senerio heard the woman make some announcement to the guests. Shortly afterwards, the woman, her husband, and the little girl joined Senerio in the room, followed by a servant who brought some refreshments.

Uncomfortably, the man struck up a conversation. "Well, lad, perhaps you have heard of us. I am one of the seven dukes of Gallia. I am Duke Caldwell."

"It's a delight to make your acquaintance," Senerio said quietly, unaccustomed to speaking. Throughout his entire life, he had had little experience speaking. "I am nothing so exquisite, merely a mage, Senerio."

The entire atmosphere was one of tension and nervousness. Duke Caldwell continued, "This is my wife, Duchess Rain." Duchess Rain nodded courteously as she was mentioned. "This is my daughter and sole heir, Snow."

"Snow is very happy to meet you, Senerio!" Snow broke into a sincere smile. This was certainly a first for Senerio; never before had anyone smiled for him, much less an aristocrat so much higher than he was.

"I'm glad to meet you, too, Lady Snow," Senerio cautiously proceeded. He was unsure of whether it would be more polite to return her greeting or to not speak to the noble child.

"Senerio will stay and be Snow's big brother-husband, right?" Snow asked with more vigor than she had shown during the entire party with other noble youths.

"Snow, darling, go to your room and play, okay?" Rain urged her daughter while stroking her luxuriant obsidian locks. "Senerio will be here in the morning."

Reluctantly, the exquisite little girl daintily walked off, accompanied by a servant.

Turning back to Senerio, Rain explained, "Snow has us in a bit of a dilemma."

Duke Caldwell's eyes flashed on his wife. His gaze reminded her, _Watch how you word your speech._

Rain proceeded, "It is Snow's fourth birthday today. We sought to have her betrothed to a noble young man. The marriage would, of course, not occur for many years, but an engagement would be necessary to secure our financial position. We had hoped that Snow would perhaps find one of the candidates amusing, at least. We had no such luck. Our daughter was somber all throughout the event." Heaving a sigh, Senerio saw that the lovely Duchess had tears welling up in her eyes.

"Perhaps I should explain," Duke Caldwell interjected gravely while putting a comforting arm around his wife. "We had a son of eight years whom we lost to last year's frozen winter. His name was Zephyr. He and Snow were very close, and the loss of her brother at such a young age has deeply depressed Snow."

Tearfully, Rain interrupted, "We thought perhaps the prospect of marriage to an eminent young man would raise her spirits, but it was to no avail! In fact, Snow refused to have any candidates for marriage at her birthday party. Snow didn't want anyone else to be with her on her birthday. We explained that since she would be with her husband forever, it would be best to meet one now. I told Snow that a husband was a boy who would always protect her, like an older brother."

As Rain dissolved in wails once more, Duke Caldwell solemnly added, "Snow wanted to see Zephyr again. He was the only brother she ever had. Snow's criterion for an older brother was that he would have to match Zephyr exactly. Since none of the invited young lads resembled Zephyr in the slightest, Snow did not care for any of them. Snow spent her entire evening sitting by the window, gazing faraway to see if Zephyr would be coming back."

"That was when you showed up, Senerio," Duke Caldwell looked directly into Senerio's cerise eyes. The Duke's eyes were piercing, as if he sought to look into the young mage's soul. "Senerio, you are almost an exact image of Zephyr."

The stately duke's last words indeed caused Senerio to feel as if he had drowned in icy cold water. _They can't possibly mean to engage such a young child to me._

The elegant couple were both staring intently at Senerio, the duchess with reddened eyes. Slowly and painstakingly, Duke Caldwell concluded, "Senerio, you are our son reborn. The only difference in appearance is the colour of your eyes. Zephyr had slightly bluer eyes – they were the colour of grape garnets. You, perhaps a commoner of no heritage whatsoever, are our son." His eyes misted over slightly, before he shook himself out of his reverie. "I'm sorry. Forgive my impudence. This is quite sudden, but perhaps you would be kind enough to stay and be Snow's fiancé.

Duchess Rain sobbed notably harder into her silk handkerchief. "Darling, you can not truly believe we can replace our beloved Zephyr with this boy. True, Senerio is pretty as they come, and he resembles Zephyr as well. His speech is quite refined for a commoner. However, look at his forehead. That is either the mark of partial Laguz blood or the mark of a spirit-charmer."

Duke Caldwell whispered a few gentle words to his wife in an undertone. Senerio suspected he knew what they were conversing about. Duke Caldwell was the sort of person who would share the same views as Rain did, but would not be so arrogant as to proclaim his views in front of the one he disapproved of. _Does it really matter? Everyone has despised me for my blood before now._

The slim but spoiled duchess stood up and wordlessly left the chamber, leaving Senerio quite alone with the duke.

Nervously, the duke restarted the conversation. "Well, Senerio, I suppose you have enough of the story. Now, I must ask you this: would you mind becoming engaged to my daughter, Snow? Would you alter the course of your life for Snow?"

Senerio swallowed. _Well, what else could I do with my life? I can't live for much longer if I don't seize this opportunity. What am I coming to? I sound like I'm using this family for myself!_ He scolded himself harshly. _I do truly want to help Snow, but will my presence really be of assistance? Or would it simply make Snow hold on longer?_

Realizing that the duke was still waiting for a response, Senerio gulped, but confidently said, "I will be Snow's older brother."

* * *

Early next morning, Senerio woke to engulfing warmth and a delectable aroma. _Where am I?_ Senerio pushed himself up and took in the sight. He was sitting on a soft and comfortable mattress, supported by a richly carved maple wood bed. Layers upon layers of beautiful sheets and blankets covered him. In the wall across from the bed, a great fire blazed, heating the room. There were a number of trinkets adorning the room, most of which were miniature jeweled weapons.

"Good morning, big brother!"

Senerio whipped around, stunned. He saw the little girl from before, Snow. She was smiling at him innocently. _This ordeal was not a dream after all._ Uncertain of how to deal with the girl who had just become his "younger sister", Senerio hesitantly spoke, "Good morning, Lady Snow. What can I do for you?"

Snow giggled. "Well, firstly, Snow would like big brother Senerio to get out of bed and play with Snow! Then, Senerio has to play with Snow even more!"

_Well, she certainly has changed from yesterday_, Senerio commented to himself. _I hope that this happy mood she is in will stay. It's unbelievable how powerful nature is; to be able to tear apart even those born to blessed lives. Snow and I are not so different after all. I lost my parents to the winter, while she lost her brother. But, Snow actually has memories of her brother. This must have been so painful._

"Big brother Senerio, when will you get up?" Snow inquired. "After you finish breakfast, we must get started playing!"

Senerio felt rather unsettled at the rapid change that had manifested overnight. "I'll be right up, Lady Snow. I'll see you down at the table and play after the meal. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes!" Snow cheered. Instantly, she skipped off into the dining hall, as if being there earlier would cause her to see her "brother" earlier.

Senerio cast his eyes downs slightly. _It's as if Senerio doesn't exist. It's as if Snow truly sees only Zephyr in me. Zephyr, who are you? Who am I?_

After he snapped out of his reverie and changed his clothes, Senerio found it very disconcert to walk down a grand oak staircase to reach, presumably, the dining hall. He had no idea where he was going, but he had merely followed his nose, hoping he didn't wind up in the kitchens. As he walked, the rich satin of his black cape trailed a little bit along the ground – the family had marginally misjudged his height. They had laid a set of clothes on a fluffy chair; it was mostly black satin, since Rain had not the time to figure out what colours suited the newly acquired mage, and went with black since black matched everything. The threadbare mage clothes Senerio had worn the day before were gone, as were all the things that had connected him with his old life.

Entering a lavishly garnished dining area, Senerio could only gasp as he took in its splendor. The lifestyles of the wealthy were new concepts for the poor mage boy who had been neglected all his life. If he had found the scent of abundant food pleasant earlier, it was positively tantalizing now. A skillfully carved table was placed in the middle of the room, laden with silverware and food. A fire even greater than the one lit in Senerio's room was roaring nearby. Servants walked in an out, delivering new dishes as well as taking away used plates.

"Good morning, Senerio," the duke's low, smooth voice greeted Senerio. He sat at the head of the table, with Rain and Snow on either side of him. Duke Caldwell gestured to the vacant seat beside Snow. "Come now, son, sit down and speak – I trust you rested well last night."

Senerio quietly complied, giving the anticipating Snow a small smile. "Yes, sir, I slept very peacefully." He didn't know if he should elaborate more to make conversation or if he should speak only when spoken to. However, Snow took the burden away.

"Big brother Senerio has to have a good sleep every night or he will be tired when he plays with Snow!" she happily declared. Pushing a lock of black hair over her shoulders, she began to heap food onto Senerio's plate. "Big brother Senerio has to have lots of energy, or he won't be able to play!"

"Thank you very much," Senerio gently said to Snow, while discreetly avoiding Rain's eyes. He suspected Rain was not pleased to see Snow so dependent on Senerio. Since Snow was eagerly waiting for Senerio to consume the food she had set before him, Senerio gingerly picked up a fork and used it to lift a small piece of beef into his mouth. He was careful to maintain fine posture and move with grace, as he was sure Rain would admonish him for anything less than the most refined table etiquette.

Rain was indeed watching Senerio's every move. She knew she had to accept him as family, but she still wanted Senerio to become an acceptable person. Rain was relieved that Senerio's hands were dexterous and elegant, but was disappointed to see him use the wrong fork. Rain dutifully took note of what the mage boy would have to be taught before allowing him to debut in the society of nobility.

The duke, on the other hand, was just worried about keeping the peace at the breakfast table. He reviewed various responses he should use for each calamity he could imagine. Noticing Rain's worried expression as she quietly watched Senerio, Duke Caldwell relaxed slightly. After all, teaching a boy how to present himself properly was all part of life. They would have had to do so regardless of Senerio's background. Even if he didn't replace Zephyr – and never should – Duke Caldwell was glad to see that Rain considered Senerio to be under her care. It would be arduous training for Senerio, but he had to catch up on etiquette.

Meanwhile, Snow was both heaping more food onto Senerio's plate as well as getting impatient. Between outbursts of "You should eat more!" and "When can we go play?" Senerio was feeling quite overwhelmed. Not only was this more food than he had seen in his entire lifetime, but for once, Senerio was actually beginning to feel full. Accustomed to never receiving enough to eat, Senerio forced himself to scarf down everything that Snow gave him, even though he couldn't take much more.

"That's enough, Snow, honey," Rain cut in softly. "Senerio shouldn't eat so much. It's unhealthy for him, and he might gain too much weight."

Senerio gave Rain a grateful glance as he finished off the remainder of the meal.

"Now, let's go play!" Snow sang with delight. Jumping off her chair, Snow began to tug on Senerio's sleeves. "Come, big brother Senerio, there's no time to lose." Senerio wasn't feeling particularly vitalized after a heavy meal, but he knew that he was only here because of the potential aid he could offer the tormented girl.

Snow led Senerio up several flights of stairs without stopping to catch a breath of air. Leading him directly into her room, Snow dropped his arm and ran to her wardrobe. Snow rummaged through a couple nightdresses before coming out with a wrapped parcel.

Without saying a word, Snow pulled back a tapestry hanging near her bed. It revealed a concealed door. Snow gestured for Senerio to come closer. As he approached, Snow opened the door; there was a dark passageway. Senerio automatically tried to enter it despite his misgivings, but Snow stopped him.

"We're not going inside yet," Snow told him. She pointed into the abyss. "Do you see those torches? We're going to light them."

"Well," Senerio gulped a bit taken aback. "We'll have to go in to light the torches. Let's be careful for the first one."

"Don't be silly, big brother!" Snow playfully chided. "We're not going to light them the normal way." Snow handed Senerio the package.

Senerio pulled back a bit of the cloth. To his surprise, he found a magic tome. "Snow, have you had this all along? Did you and Zephyr play with fire often?"

Snow beamed. "Zephyr and I practiced all the time. The books kept disappearing, though. Every time we used it, we had to pull out one leaf to channel the magic from the page. When all the pages were gone, the empty binding just faded away." She handed the thin Fire tome to Senerio. He could see that a couple leaflets were already torn out; Snow and Zephyr had not been able to finish off this book.

"I'm not sure I can cast magic using a tome that is the last memory of your brother," Senerio murmured to himself. Nonetheless, he flipped the book open, and scanned the written incantation. Carefully ripping out the page, Senerio repeated the incantation and cast the spell in the general direction where Snow pointed. He was certainly close, but the flames erupted on stone and quickly perished. However, the momentary blaze showed him exactly where the actual torch was. Senerio's second spell hit the torch dead on; a small fire was lit, revealing more torches down the passageway.

"Zephyr and I always kept lighting them," Snow quietly said, again looking as downfallen as she had the day before at the party. "Zephyr had much more studies to do than even I had, but he always joined me in lighting this hallway."

Senerio didn't know what to say. Before yesterday, he never had to speak at all. "Lady Snow, I will light every single torch. I can't replace Zephyr, but I need you to live a long and bliss-filled life. You have a future; you must live for yourself and Zephyr."

At this moment, the four-year-old princess looked much more aged than she ever had. Darkness loomed over her clear blue eyes; she seemed to be in deep thought about an ordeal which still pierced her heart. Softly, Snow whispered, "Yesterday, when Mother told me to go play in my room, I came and lit the torches. I didn't finish. Mother came in, so I couldn't finish." Tears welled up in her eyes, but didn't fall. "Senerio, you will not be going anywhere, will you? We'll always be together, won't we? We will live together, forever."

The black-haired mage could not answer. What could he have said? He wasn't a learned sage; he was as much a child as she was. Out of the corner of his ruby eyes, Senerio saw a light sorrowful snow fall. The pure snow was beautiful as ever, but the day was quietly unsettling. To Senerio, it seemed as if the sky was crying in Snow's place.

_If you want me to live forever, I will do so._ Senerio vowed as he lit another torch. _Life hasn't been fair enough to us. The life of a beloved kinsman is worth much more than all the gold in this world._

* * *

The months passed. Daily, Senerio was subjected to thrice the amount of studying of etiquette in order to get him up to speed. Daily, Senerio and Snow lit the torches in the passageway. Snow was actually quite an impressive spell-caster for a four year old. Since it didn't appear that Snow was ever taught by a magic tutor, Senerio assumed that Zephyr had taught her everything.

Despite the training Rain imposed upon Senerio and the occasional grief-stricken reminiscences of Zephyr, Senerio could honestly say that this was the peak of his life, and that heaven had come down to earth. With encouragement and praise from Snow, Senerio's magic abilities improved far more than under the wing of the old sage. Something transformed inside Senerio. He was no longer the "street vermin" everyone used to beat on. While Senerio's new social status yielded part of the change, it seemed as if Senerio was always floating in a kind but confident manner. He was the type of person anyone would talk to. The pretty mage often received appreciative glances from young girls and their approving mothers. The mysterious young lord-ling who had come out of nowhere became an icon in the village. Beside the "noble" idol, one could always find the little duchess, Snow, walking by her brother's side wearing a sweet smile. It didn't matter when; Snow and Senerio were together under the cherry blossoms of gentle spring, the golden sunlight and brine breeze of summer, the lightly fragrant whirlwind of maple leaves in autumn, and, again, in the sanctity of the first snow of winter.

When winter came again, Snow was excited about celebrating her one year anniversary of finding her brother, more so than she was to have another birthday party. It was only early November, but the precocious little girl could not stop her endless tirade. "Big brother Senerio, come here and look at this dress! Do you think I should wear this for our anniversary? We'll have simply the most splendid revelry."

In fact, there was no surprise at Snow's enthusiasm. The light snow was elegant and beautiful, but did not signal freezing nights. The weather had been utterly perfect for a formal gathering. The uptight duke and even the duchess had warmed up to Senerio, and were accustomed to viewing him as a son. One particularly heartwarming moment was when Senerio made his debut on the social scene. Servants had spent hours preparing him for the evening. Right before the party, Rain appeared at the door. The stunning duchess had come to personally put the finishing touches on her "rushed work of art". Rain had offered Senerio an elegantly beautiful silver chain with a small garnet pendant dangling from it. When he gratefully accepted it, Rain sincerely smiled at the mage. One could truly believe that this family would live happily ever after.

Unfortunately, this fairy tale did not last. Soon after, the winter winds harshly betrayed the family. The chill came suddenly, and Snow fell deeply ill. Day in and day out, Snow's breathing became tortuous. Frequently, she coughed blood. Her fair skin turned clammy and wan. Forced to stay in bed, Snow's one joy was having Senerio light the torches after their parents had left.

Weakly, in her final moments, Snow said to Senerio, "Big brother, I can see Zephyr waiting for me. He's sitting on a cloud. The clouds look fluffy. Senerio, do you have the magic tome with you? Good, go light the torches."

Senerio obeyed without a moment's hesitation. The first spell book had been reduced to one page, so they continually purchased new tomes. Senerio had gone out to buy Elfire after Snow fell under the weather – he reasoned that a stronger flame would be warmer, and thus, Snow would be healed by it. Each flame hit perfectly even though the darkness of the winter solstice was impenetrable.

"Snow, it's not your time to go to heaven yet," he whispered, praying for this outcome. "You have a long life before you. We'll be together forever, right?"

The little girl gave a small smile. "Senerio, I'll be waiting for you. I don't want you to die, but I'd like to have two big brothers at the same time." Senerio felt an unrelenting pain streaking through his chest, but also noticed that the light which appeared in Snow's eyes when she first "found" Senerio had returned. It had come that time because Snow had found someone to be her closest friend; it returned when Snow was to be reunited with her first friend.

Snow was gone. Duke Caldwell followed within a week. Senerio and Rain reddened their eyes until their tears ran dry; then, they sacrificed their own health to mourn for their fallen family. Unfortunately, this neglect caused both of the survivors to internally bleed. Despite the fact that they were given the best medical care, Rain did not live. As Rain was a healthier individual than Senerio was, the healer presumed that Rain lacked any will to live on.

* * *

_Why did I live, then?_ Senerio always wondered. _If Duchess Rain's death was because she wanted to join her family, I should have died long before she did._ He had forgotten that three people were waiting on him. Absentmindedly, Senerio reached deep into the folds of the same black satin cloak he had received a year ago. His fingers fell on an old worn Fire tome – the only tome used by all of the Caldwell heirs. Senerio gave a small gasp of pain. It hurt to touch anything; his fingers were under constant torture because he had gotten used to being waited upon while he was a lord-ling. Nonetheless, Senerio moved his fingers up this time to his chest. They found the small pendant Rain had given him.

"Should I join you?" He murmured almost inaudibly. "Yes, perhaps that would be best. But what is in the deal for you?"

Ike then responded, "Father will teach you how to fight. When we're all grown up, we'll fight together in our mercenary group!"

Senerio suddenly jumped to life. "Pardon me; did you just say you want me to fight? I can not fight with combat weapons. However, if you arm me with certain tomes of magic, I can cast magic at foes."

"Senerio, can you really use magic?" Mist asked shyly.

"That's great, Senerio. You can teach Mist later on." Greil gave the dark-haired boy a smile. "Although we would have taken you in even if you couldn't use weapons or magic. We may be mercenaries, but only a cold-hearted person would let a kid die on the streets."

"Is that so?" Senerio wondered. _This is the start of a new life, I guess. Maybe I didn't live out my peak. I just wandered into a valley, and now I'm going up another mountain – this time, it's filled with both snow and mist._ Senerio smiled as the first snow of this season began to fall.

* * *

A/N: This was written before FE10 was released and Senerio's past was revealed, so I took some liberties with his parentage.

The following review from ZephyrShakuraus:.

1) I was under the assumption that Soren could not speak until he met Ike and Greil. However, I understand your story needed to change that. Was this deliberate, or an over sight?

2) Also, you missed the fact that soren was with a lady before the old man, but you seem to go from an orphanage to the old man. I might have missed something, it's midnight after all.

Over all, I did enjoy it. Using the name Zephyr is always a good idea

My answer to that:

1. I had to change that. Originally, I intended for him to speak only a little, and then kill Snow off within a few weeks (the first winter). But then, I thought, _Well, then Senerio shouldn't be affected so much. He'd think, "Oh yeah, that's sad. Rest in peace, Lady Snow."_ I wanted the idea of Senerio getting a little bit of happiness, and then having that wrenched from him painfully.

2. The orphanage was the old lady in my story. The game said that their parents left Senerio with an old lady and she grudgingly took care of him out of obligation, but unless the lady was either in debt to his parents or the owner of an orphanage, I don't see any other obligations.

3. Zephyr Wind. I wanted to keep up the whole weather-related name thing that Snow and Mist have going on. It's a good name too besides.

I'd like constructive criticism of anything: grammar, word usage, anything. Flames are the only thing I do not want. Thank you for reading!


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